Overview

From James A. Michener, America's favorite story-teller, comes this treasury of sixteen tales about the natural world. Millions of readers have been captivated by the stories of the woolly mammoth in Alaska, the wily gander in Chesapeake, the awesome birth of the Hawaiian Islands in Hawaii, and the evolution of the Rocky Mountains in Centennial. These and other excerpts from Michener's superb novels are here collected in a single volume, along with one never-before-published story. Together they offer a ...

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Overview

From James A. Michener, America's favorite story-teller, comes this treasury of sixteen tales about the natural world. Millions of readers have been captivated by the stories of the woolly mammoth in Alaska, the wily gander in Chesapeake, the awesome birth of the Hawaiian Islands in Hawaii, and the evolution of the Rocky Mountains in Centennial. These and other excerpts from Michener's superb novels are here collected in a single volume, along with one never-before-published story. Together they offer a mesmerizing journey through the natural world, across time, and around the globe. Mr. Michener re-creates the planet Earth as it existed millions of years ago when dinosaurs flourished; he vividly describes the vast forces that created the geological wonders we know today; he explains how, in the millennia-old struggle for survival, some species endured and evolved while others disappeared. Several stories illuminate man's relationship with animals, such as the love between master and dog in Chesapeake and the antagonism between homeowner and armadillo in Texas. Illustrated with seventeen drawings, each occupying two full pages, Creatures of the Kingdom is sure to enchant readers of all ages.

The nature stories that have captivated Michener's readers are collected in this single volume, along with one never-before-published story. Together they offer a mesmerizing journey through the natural world, across time, and around the globe. 16 drawings. Interview on Larry King.

Editorial Reviews

School Library Journal

YA-Flowing descriptions, scientific details, and unique individuals unite in this anthology composed primarily of excerpts from Michener's earlier works. The stories provide a variety of animal personalities and actions. The gentle, the stubborn, the vicious, and the humorous all fight to survive in their own unique ways. The animals always remain true to their natural instincts. Frequently they are called by their species name; sometimes, though, the author has given them affectionate, Latinized versions of their scientific names. Although the brevity of the selections and the inclusion of line drawings may appeal to younger students, the vocabulary is a bit challenging. Dialogue is kept to a minimum and is only used in those few stories where humans appear. A wonderful opportunity for students to become acquainted with a talented writer without having to tackle one of his longer works.-Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA

Brad Hooper

What at first may seem no more than a commercially motivated churn-out from the Michener mill is not that at all. Gathered in this delightful "anthology" (which most public libraries won't want to do without) are sections from Michener's novels that deal with animals and other less animate aspects of the natural world. Everyone who's ever read one of Michener's novels--and experienced his full course in the biological and geological background of whatever setting he's dealing with--knows his research is thorough and his presentation of facts and information exciting. It's those nature-describing passages that have been collected here. From the volcanic activity that gave birth to the Hawaiian Islands described so dramatically in "Hawaii" to the habits of the dinosaur called "diplodocus" brilliantly reconstructed in "Centennial", from the life story of the salmon poignantly depicted in "Alaska" to that of the blue crab in "Chesapeake", these selections represent nature writing as its most fluid and involving. One doesn't have to be a flaming animal lover to love these stories.

From the Publisher

“[Creatures of the Kingdom contains] the dramatic elements of a life—the wonder of birth, rites of passage, lots of conflict, much of it physical and bloody, and death. . . . As characters in a James Michener novel, a beaver can know loneliness, a buffalo can bide his time, a salmon can feel encouraged, and a woolly mammoth can ‘luxuriate’ in the ecological rewards of a plains fire.”—Boston Sunday Herald
“Dramatic . . . enthralling . . . expertly crafted . . . Michener treats each of these creatures with fundamental respect, and in many cases, admiration and awe, if not outright love.”—The Virginian-Pilot
“Anyone who has read a James Michener novel knows that it’s a learning experience as well as an adventure.”—The Sacramento Bee

“Delightful . . . nature writing at its most fluid and involving.”—Booklist

From Barnes & Noble

A treasury of 16 tales of animal life and the natural world, excerpted from Michener's superb novels, including Alaska, Chesapeake, Hawaii, and Centennial. Illustrated with 17 b&w drawings, these stories illuminate man's relationship with nature.

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Meet the Author

More by this Author

James A. Michener was one of the world’s most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tales of the South Pacific, the bestselling novels The Source, Hawaii, Alaska, Chesapeake, Centennial, Texas, Caribbean, and Caravans, and the memoir The World Is My Home. Michener served on the advisory council to NASA and the International Broadcast Board, which oversees the Voice of America. Among dozens of awards and honors, he received America’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977, and an award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1983 for his commitment to art in America. Michener died in 1997 at the age of ninety.

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Have not read this yet, but all of Michener's books engulf you.

Michener always brings out the most interesting facts about his subject. I have all of his books.

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Anonymous

Posted April 11, 2001

A great change of pace

I found this at a used book store and I'm sorry to see that it is no longer available any other way. Basically a book of short stories, this is for anyone who is a nature lover or just enjoys a good story. Since most of the stories are excerpts from his earlier works, Michener fans will enjoy returning to an author who always pleased, and to the rest it is a great introduction to a truly great author.

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